Teaser Tuesday: You, and Only You by Jennifer McNare

Over a year ago, during an impromptu card game, he’d made a foolish wager with her and lost.  His forfeit had been that at some point in the future, he would have to request a waltz with the widowed marchioness.  It was a dreadful price to pay by any man’s standards, for despite the fact that she outweighed him by at least a stone, Olivia Whitlunde was as brazen as a dockside whore and her voracious appetite for the amorous affections of handsome young men was common knowledge amongst the majority of the ton. 

You, and Only You  by Jennifer McNare

An older hero, a youngish heroine. Eighteen-year-old Tiffany Marlowe is won by Earl of Chesterfield as a wager by her own father. She is thrilled by his attention unknowing about the wager. 

But when the truth comes out, all is lost for Earl of Chesterfield. By this time he has fallen hard for her.

It started out good but lost steam somewhere and did not regain it. I liked the bantering between the two. That is the only redeeming feature.,

Yes, My Darling Daughter by Margaret Leroy

"I died, Grace. I died in the water," she says. Her voice so calm and matter-of-fact. I feel the lurch of my heart.

~page 220, Yes, My Darling Daughter by Margaret Leroy

Title: Yes, My Darling Daughter
Author: Margaret Leroy
ISBN: 9780374126018
Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books/2009
Pages: 340

Set in London and Ireland, Yes, My Darling Daughter has all those elements, which can hold the reader's interest till the end. Grace, a single mother of four-year-old Sylvie, works in flower shop in London. Her daughter is not like any other child. She acts beyond her age and seems to know something which is the beyond the understanding of Grace.

When Sylvie starts to get mean with her playmates and also has frequent tantrums, along with sporadic panic attacks, Grace doesn't know how to deal with it. Sylvie has this unknown fear of water, anything that involves water scares her and she has nightmarish attacks. Sylvie also keeps drawing a small cottage and speaks of stuff, that she has not seen but somehow knows. And then one photograph triggers certain something and Sylvie continually keeps saying it is her home and she lived there. Somehow Sylvie seems to get farther away from Grace. The place turns out to be somewhere in Ireland.

Getting panicky and as a last resort, Grace gets in touch with Adam Winters, a University professor, who has done some studies on Paranormal behaviour of children and also about behaviour pertaining to past lives. After one sesseion with Sylvie, Adam suggest that they travel to Cold Harbour, Ireland and find out what Sylvie is trying to tell them. He has certain theories what must be the reason of Sylvie's behaviour. He warns Grace about violent memories but tells her there is nothing to worry about.

Arriving there, Sylvie recognises the places and also tries to find Lennie. Now who is Lennie? And for that matter who is Sylvie? And when they do find something, Sylvie simply clams up, going silent, withdrawing from Grace. Grace senses and knows that Sylvie is troubled and wants to help her. And Grace is scared too that somehow she might lose Sylvie to something she can't understand.

The past life and present have merged in this novel and the supporting characters somehow make it so plausible. The paranormal element doesn't seem out of context. A book that holds interest and satisfies that something which every reader wants and wishes for. A satisfying feel after reading it. At places Sylvie might feel unlovable but what else can expect from a girl, who had died violently in her past life. Grace, as a mother is supporting, loving and even when not understanding Sylvie's behaviour is always there for her.

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brook

I used to love this season. The Wood stacked by the door, the tang of its sap still speaking of forest.

Title: Year of Wonders
Author: Geraldine Brooks
ISBN: 184115458
Publisher:Fourth Estate/2001
Pages: 304

Year of Wonders is about plague that took place in 1666, in an isolated Mountain village. The plague might have come there with an bolt of cloth from London. Anna Frith, the narrator, is a housemaid. In the midst of all this madness, she emerges as a strong heroine, who tries her best to heal. The plague destroys almost all of the village and also reason. Poeple go frenzy with madness and resort to witch hunting. Anna comes out stronger out of all this with faith, and love for people.

She loses here own family. That doesn't deter her from offering her services for healing those who need her. The minister of the village insists that they quarante their village so that it does not spread far and wide. Apart from a few handful, everyone agrees to it. In a way, 1666 becomes an Year of Wonders instead of Year of Plague.

Anna Firth comes out to be strong woman. She has faith in their minister and most important in the young wife of the minister. Their relationship is not that of a mistress and a servant but more like two sisters. Both love each other. Elinor teaches Anna to read too. Mr Mompellion, the minister loves his wife Elinor, which seems to be reciprocated well.

For all her goodwill, her healing powers, Anna is torn with misplaced love too. She is one of the survivors of the plague and she knows what she has to do at the end of it. We don't see Anaa failing us at any time and she has got her priorities right too. In those times when a woman was taken for a witch just because she could heal, Anna survives in more ways than one. With good writing, this makes an extremely readable book. Brooks has made that period of time come alive for us.

Yellowknife by Steve Zipp

Title: Yellowknife
Author: Steve Zipp
ISBN: 9780973632118
Publisher: Res Telluris, Canada/2007
Pages: 286

I had requested this book from Steve Zipp for The Canadian Book Challenge, way back in Nov 2007. He had posted it to me in November itself. However, I received it in April 2008. It took six months to reach me. I had assumed that it had been lost in the mail. I read it while travelling to work and back. It took me two days to finish it.

I do not know anything about Canada, let alone Yellowknife. This book educated me in many fronts. It is one of those books, which is not easy to review. Although I finished it somedays back, I have been putting off reviewing it. It is kind of very difficult to summarise the novel. Almost fruitless.

It is set in 1998, in Yellowknife, which is home for assorted people like bureaucrats and businessmen. Many arrive here for the lure of opportunities. This takes us into a world filled with humour, imagination, hope, love, lost love and much much more. It touches certain myths taking us through a tunnel of humanity. Both mysterious and mystical, we get to read about people who bond despite being strangers. There are no dark characters here, or purely good. The grey shades only endear them to us as we somehow identify with them. The scientific references...biology mixed with physics, chemistry and mathematics instantly gelled with me. Detailed prose too worked well for me.

Zipp has used motifs, metaphors which make this an excellent read. Although I had to go and back and forth while reading this, I couldn't leave it in the midst as I do with a few novels. I had to finish it till the end. I got glimpses about a world I know nothing about. Very insightful. Some might not like the book as it is not an easy read. However, it is well worth the effort. I would say, go for it!

Also check the review of this book by:

August

Raidergirl

Melanie

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